


A Short History of What Happened

by thistreasurehunter



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: ABO, ABO AU, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, M/M, Misunderstandings, Omega Verse, Protective Dave, Slow Burn, Smut, Undercover, Undercover omega, Vietnam, Yearning, alpha!dave - Freeform, alternative universe, omega!Klaus, secretly in love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-16 02:47:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29569125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thistreasurehunter/pseuds/thistreasurehunter
Summary: If you asked Dave later, he’d probably say Klaus Hargreeves happened to him all at once.In reality, however, it wasn’t quite that simple.In fact, when Dave actually stopped to think about it, what really happened was that Klaus Hargreeves snuck up on him. Like a sneeze. Or an orgasm.***Written for the prompt:Omegas aren't allowed to join the army, but then Omega!Klaus gets dropped into Vietnam and has to pose as a Beta. He manages quite well, right until he goes into heat. Alpha!Dave is protective and incredibly aroused/horny.
Relationships: Klaus Hargreeves/David "Dave" Katz
Comments: 32
Kudos: 85
Collections: EnKlave Fest 2021





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written, with love, for EnKlave Fest 2021.
> 
> I've never written anything in the Omega Verse genre before. When I claimed this prompt, I had no idea where this was going to take me. But as I've been working on this over the last few weeks, this fic has just grown arms and legs. It's easily the single longest one-shot I've every written. So, basically, what I'm saying is that the entire fic isn't complete yet. For now, I'll just post the introduction. 
> 
> **But watch this space, because more is coming...**

If you asked Dave later, he’d probably say Klaus Hargreeves happened to him all at once. 

In reality, however, it wasn’t quite that simple. 

In fact, when Dave actually stopped to think about it, what really happened was that Klaus Hargreeves snuck up on him. Like a sneeze. Or an orgasm. 

***

Dave smelled Klaus before he saw him. 

He was fast asleep on his cot in the tent, in the middle of a warzone. Then, suddenly, there was a flash of blue light behind his eyelids and Dave became conscious of the most intoxicating omega pheromone scent he had ever smelled. 

Then Dave opened his eyes and there he was. _He_ was. Small and vulnerable and frightened and _male._ Also, beautiful. Breathtakingly, heartbreakingly beautiful.

Crack. Bang. The earth tilted on its axis. The ground shuddered and angels sang. There he was. The line in the sand. The before and after. Klaus Hargreeves had happened to him.

The first thing Dave noticed was the fear. He could smell it. It radiated from the omega’s scent glands in waves. It was fear, definitely. But there was something else in there too. Confusion? Dave thought. Disorientation? 

The second thing Dave noticed was that the omega was mostly naked. He registered that almost as an afterthought. It was far less important than the simple fact that the omega was scared. 

Even through the fog of sleep that still clung to him, Dave’s alpha instincts kicked in and his first conscious thought was: _protect._

In hindsight, what he should have thought was: _why is there an omega here?_ More specifically: _Huh?! Omegas are banned from joining the armed forces. Baring that in mind, I wonder why a scared, naked one has suddenly materialised at the foot of my bed in the middle of the night? And why is he holding a… briefcase?_

In those first few seconds, though, Dave’s brain didn’t get quite that far, because the omega looked up at him through large, hypnotically beautiful, dark-rimmed eyes and Dave temporarily forgot how to breathe. 

The man looked up at him and cocked his head to one side, further exposing the scent glands on his neck. The pheromones in the air thickened. Then the omega furrowed his brows, his mouth opening slightly in wonder.

And Dave just wanted to scoop him up.

But at that exact moment, the assault started outside the tent and the night was suddenly filled with the sound of explosions and gunfire.

The man’s eyes got impossibly wider and the smell of fear intensified. 

The other men in the tent began jumping to their feet, grabbing their guns and running to the exit. They barely spared Dave and the omega a glance. _Thank God for betas_ , Dave thought with a small jolt of relief. 

“Incoming!” A booming voice shouted through the night. “Go-time, ladies! Charlie’s on the wire!”

Dave hoisted himself out of bed, grabbed a pile of his clothes and passed them to the omega.

“Here,” he said kindly, his voice low so he couldn’t be overheard. “Put these on. I’ve worn them, so they’re covered in my scent. It should help… mask yours.” Dave swallowed and added delicately. “Probably best to… keep your neck and wrists as covered as possible. These guys are betas, but there are some pretty mean alphas out there, so watch your back.”

The omega let out a shuddering breath. 

“Okay,” he said shakily, then quickly began pulling on Dave’s clothes.

***

And that, as they say, was how it all started.


	2. Chapter 2

Dave felt a sharp pang somewhere in the region of his heart at the sight of the omega sitting alone on the truck. He looked so lost and bewildered. And small.

Logically, Dave knew the omega was approximately the same size as the other beta guys sitting around him. But, to Dave, he just seemed small. And delicate. And… _vulnerable._

Dave took a deep breath and tried to mentally prepare himself, valiantly ignoring the flutter of butterfly wings in his stomach. 

He stood up in the cramped space, awkwardly moved down the truck and perched on the seat adjacent and slightly behind where the omega sat. He was staring forwards blankly in what appeared to be a daze.

Dave rested a hand lightly on the omega’s shoulder, then dropped it back to his own knee as the omega turned in surprise. Dave didn’t want to spook him.

In a light, friendly voice, Dave asked, “You just get in country?”

“Oh, uh…” the omega said, looking forward again for a moment, before turning his body slightly to look back at Dave. “Yeah,” he said nodding and smiling shyly. The butterflies in Dave’s stomach did a few summersaults. 

He gazed into the omega’s eyes, held eye contact and smiled back. Dave could hear his pulse pounding in his ears. His brain felt distant and clouded. The omega looked down shyly, then flicked his eyes back up to meet Dave’s. Dave’s breath caught in his chest and he had to remind himself it was his turn to speak.

“Yeah, shit’s crazy. I know.” The small smile lit the omega’s face up like a sunrise. Dave’s heart was racing and he had to tear his eyes away in order to keep his breathing even and under control. He could still feel the omega’s wide eyes on him. 

“Yeah!” the omega agreed, breathily. 

Dave swallowed and looked back at him. For a moment, he let his gaze drift down to the omega’s mouth and then guiltily flicked back up to his eyes.

“You’ll adjust,” he said kindly. 

Dave took a deep breath, then held his hand up. It was a little difficult in the cramped space.

“I’m Dave.” He purposefully softened his gaze and kept his voice low and non-threatening.

The smile on the omega’s face was replaced by a more serious expression. He twisted and brought his hand up to clasp Dave’s. 

“Klaus,” the omega said nodding earnestly, the flicker of a smile returning to his lovely face.

Dave smiled warmly, feeling the tingling, electric rush that surged through his body, radiating from the point of contact between them. From the first press of skin against skin. His stomach gave a sudden, swooping twist. The butterflies continued their excited flapping. 

Dave took another shuddering breath. Out of the corner of his eye, he was dimly aware of a movement under Klaus’ seat, the dull scrape of something heavy sliding across the floor of the truck. He’d remember it later, of course. He'd remember it with a sharp pang, playing the moment over in his mind. But for now, it hardly registered, he was so completely transfixed by the sparkle in Klaus’ large, innocent eyes.

Dave couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but the omega’s scent had changed subtly since he first saw him in the tent. The fear and disorientation were still there, but they seemed duller, somehow, less vivid than before. There was something else there now, though. Something with depth. Something that was sharp and tangy to begin with, but then became deeper and slowly morphed into something warm and woody and comforting. Dave thought that – just perhaps – it might be the olfactory reflection of the interested flicker he could have sworn he’d seen flash across those hypnotic green eyes. 

_Klaus_ , Dave thought. _Klaus, Klaus, Klaus._


	3. Chapter 3

For the remainder of the journey, Dave fought hard to keep a dopey smile from spreading across his face. But, riding the giddy high of his first conversation with Klaus, Dave found it difficult to keep his expression neutral.

In the melee after disembarking, Dave kept his eye on the skinny, waif-like figure moving through the crowd. Dave’s protective alpha instincts were on high alert and he watched the figures moving around Klaus suspiciously, warily noting that their larger frames appeared to dwarf his in every way.

Dave saw Klaus look around nervously and then anxiously tug his collar tighter around his neck. During their brief conversation on the truck, it had seemed that some of Klaus’ anxiety had dissipated, but in the crush of bodies and the gathering darkness, Dave could sense it mounting again with force.

Once again, the almost overpowering impulse to protect the omega rushed through Dave. He had a physical urge to shield his small body from the dangers surrounding him. Dave had to dig his fingernails into the palms of his hands to remain where he was, the sting of pain helping him to focus. Afterall, nothing would inadvertently give Klaus’ identity away faster than a full-scale, physiology-fuelled alpha meltdown. Dave knew he was smarter than that. But that didn’t make ignoring his instincts feel any easier.

So when Dave found out that he’d been assigned the first shift of lookout duty that night, he took a steadying breath, acknowledging to himself that a little time and space would be good for him. A few hours on his own, in the quiet of the night, would help him get his head straight and his thoughts in order.

Walking away from camp, however, Dave couldn’t say he was particularly surprised when a sickening wave of panic and jealousy washed over him.

Logically, Dave knew that taking a literal and metaphorical step back was probably the best – and safest – course of action for both him and Klaus. However, he couldn’t help looking back over his shoulder at the easy bustle of early evening and the unit beginning to gather around the campfire to warm their ration cans. He saw Klaus hovering on the edge of the group, once again looking a little lost and out of his depth.

If Dave had been there, he would have caught Klaus’ eye and nodded to the empty spot next to him. Klaus would have wandered over and perched delicately on the upturned crate. As the men around them chatted and smoked and shared stories of beta girls back home while they waited for their food to warm through, Dave would have feigned interest in his own gloopy can of ham and lima beans and then tried to casually draw Klaus into conversation. He’d have started with a few innocuous comments, and when he managed not to say anything that scared him away, Dave would have quietly broached some of the bigger questions. In the relaxed hum of evening, he might have finally got a few answers to the questions surrounding Klaus’ sudden – and, frankly, mysterious – arrival.

Dave took a deep breath, turned his head forwards and continued trudging to his assigned sentry position on the perimeter of the camp.

*********

Three hours later and Dave was ready to admit, he was not having a good night. Usually, he quite enjoyed this duty. Living in such close quarters with so many other men, the opportunity for a little space and a few hours of quiet contemplation was more than welcome. 

Tonight, however, Dave’s thoughts were buzzing and he felt oddly jittery and unsettled. He took a deep breath and tried to focus on the ambient jungle noises and the low whir of insects.

It didn’t work. All he wanted was to be back at camp.

He tried to convince himself it was just because he was tired and was looking forward putting his feet up on his cot and closing his eyes as the unit traded banter and a radio played quietly in the background.

But Dave couldn’t even fool himself. He knew it wasn’t anything to do with that. He just wanted to be closer to Klaus.

This whole, weird, unusual situation had set off an itch in Dave’s brain. Rather than having a calming effect, the quiet of the night around him only gave him space for his thoughts to run wild. As the warm, sticky air pressed against his skin like a wet cloth, he reluctantly ran through his growing list of questions again, trying to untangle the facts from the confusing swirl of intoxicating pheromones and consuming alpha urges.

He just needed to be near Klaus, to look him in the eye – those beautiful, hypnotic eyes – and ask him what was going on. He needed to hear Klaus explain in that high, breathy voice. He needed to look deep into his eyes and then, as the words poured out of him, he needed to let his gaze wander down to those full, soft lips. He needed to reach out and cup that perfect, peach-skin cheek in the palm of his hand. He needed to lean forwards…

Dave swallowed thickly and shook his head a little, feeling the uncomfortable heat of his cheeks and the excited flutter and swell deep within him.

_No,_ Dave told himself. _No. Now was not the time or the place for those kind of thoughts._

He took a long, deep, cleansing breath through his nose, then released it slowly out of his mouth.

_Tomorrow,_ he thought to himself. _Whatever happens, I’ll try and talk to him tomorrow._

Little did he know, however, that within twenty-four hours, he would have unwittingly and irrevocable changed the course of their relationship forever.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading - I hope you enjoyed! 
> 
> Kudos and comments make my day! ☂️
> 
> Link to my tumblr: [@yeah-klave](https://yeah-klave.tumblr.com/)


End file.
